The Satyricon — Volume 01: Introduction

20-66 Petronius Arbiter

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THE SATYRICON of Petronius, Volume 1
Project Gutenberg's The Satyricon, Vol. 1, Introduction, by Petronius Arbiter This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: The Satyricon, Vol. 1, Introduction Author: Petronius Arbiter Release Date: May 20, 2004 [EBook #5218] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SATYRICON, VOL. 1 ***
Produced by David Widger
THE SATYRICON OF PETRONIUS ARBITER
Volume 1.
Complete and unexpurgated translation by W. C. Firebaugh, in which are incorporated the forgeries of Nodot and Marchena, and the readings introduced into the text by De Salas.
PREFACE
Among the difficulties which beset the path of the conscientious translator, a sense of his own unworthiness must ever take precedence; but another, scarcely less disconcerting, is the likelihood of misunderstanding some
scarcely less disconcerting, is the likelihood of misunderstanding some allusion which was perfectly familiar to the author and his public, but which, by reason of its purely local significance, is obscure and subject to the misinterpretation and emendation of a later generation. A translation worthy of the name is as much the product of a literary epoch as it is of the brain and labor of a scholar; and ...

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• Publié par: musir
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 90
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

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THE SATYRICON of Petronius, Volume 1

Project Gutenberg's The Satyricon, Vol. 1, Introduction, by Petronius Arbiter This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: The Satyricon, Vol. 1, Introduction Author: Petronius Arbiter Release Date: May 20, 2004 [EBook #5218] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SATYRICON, VOL. 1 ***

Produced by David Widger

THE SATYRICON OF PETRONIUS ARBITER

Volume 1.

Complete and unexpurgated translation by W. C. Firebaugh, in which are incorporated the forgeries of Nodot and Marchena, and the readings introduced into the text by De Salas.

PREFACE

Among the difficulties which beset the path of the conscientious translator, a sense of his own unworthiness must ever take precedence; but another, scarcel less disconcertin , is the likelihood of misunderstandin some

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PREFACE

CONTENTS:

C. F.  tion. W. 

INTRODUCTION

THE AUTHOR

REALISM

FORGERIES

VOLUME I.

ILLUSTRATIONS:

The Witches [Frontpiece]

An Extemporary Declamation

An Old Herb Woman

Hurrying to the Inn

Making Off

Tryphena

The Holy Mysteries

Quartilla

Psyche

The Catamite

The Debauch

The Drunkards

Quartilla and Giton

The Chink in the Door

Pannychis

INTRODUCTION.

Of the many masterpieces which classical antiquity has bequeathed to modern times, few have attained, at intervals, to such popularity; few have so gripped the interest of scholars and men of letters, as has this scintillating miscellany known as the Satyricon, ascribed by tradition to that Petronius who, at the court of Nero, acted as arbiter of elegance and dictator of fashion. The flashing, wit, the masterly touches which bring out the characters with all the detail of a fine old copper etching; the marvelous use of realism by this, its first prophet; the sure knowledge of the perspective and background best adapted to each episode; the racy style, so smooth, so elegant, so simple when the educated are speaking, beguile the reader and blind him, at first, to the many discrepancies and incoherences with which the text, as we have it, is marred. The more one concentrates upon this author, the more apparent these faults become and the more one regrets the lacunae in the text. Notwithstanding numerous articles which deal with this work, some from the pens of the most profound scholars, its author is still shrouded in the mists of uncertainty and conjecture. He is as impersonal as Shakespeare, as aloof as Flaubert, in the opinion of Charles Whibley, and, it may be added, as genial as Rabelais; an enigmatic genius whose secret will never be laid bare with the resources at our present command. As I am not writing for scholars, I do not intend going very deeply into the labyrinth of critical controversy which surrounds the author and the work, but I shall deal with a few of the questions which, if properly understood, will enhance the value of the Satyricon, and contribute, in some degree, to a better understanding of the author. For the sake of convenience the questions discussed in this introduction will be arranged in the following order:

 1. The Satyricon.  2. The Author.  a His Character.  b His Purpose in Writing.  c Time in which the Action is placed.  d Localization of the Principal Episode.  3. Realism.  a Influence of the Satyricon upon the Literature of the World.  4. The Forgeries.

I

THE SATYRICON.